


Fairy Tale of the Convention (Meeting at a fan con)

by Shatterpath



Series: The 13 AUs of Christmas 2017 [5]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Flirting, Conventions, Cosplay, F/F, Social Media
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-15 23:18:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13041600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shatterpath/pseuds/Shatterpath
Summary: Alex is just there to promote her new show, not have her admittedly stage-frighty attention stolen away by a really enticing cosplayer…For the thirteen AUs of Christmas, my author wrote for me,A cheesy filk sung badly,Luthors who aren't evil,Sexy Space pirates,Amazing awful first date,Meeting at a fan con,





	Fairy Tale of the Convention (Meeting at a fan con)

**Author's Note:**

> The Comic Con/Social Media AU. Because Geekstorytelling and theillogicalthinker asked (BEGGED) so nicely. -chuckle-

Alex was nervous.

There was just no kinder way to say it.

At least she had managed to get Kara to go sit down, as their nerves were feeding on one another's. Nothing left now but a shadowy backstage, the din of the crowd beyond the curtain and a lone stagehand in a headset.

She was not going to panic.

Fuck that, she was panicking…

"Hey, you're good," said a strange voice that turned out to be the toweringly tall stagehand, her smile warm. "That crowd is here to adore you. Smile, wave, talk about what you love, ignore the assholes and have a good time."

"Right, right, thanks."

It was all she could get out as the PA system crackled to life with a jovial man's voice. "Welcome everyone! Great turnout." Alex tuned out as he rattled off a few rules and the crowd cheered. "And now, our star panelist-- and it's her first convention so be nice everyone-- author of 'Watery Haven' and the mind behind 'Stronger Together', Alex Danvers!"

Slapping a microphone into her sweaty hand, the stagehand gave her a little push. "Go get 'em tiger."

And for all her internal pep talks and castigating herself to not be that guest, Alex immediately forgot it all in the face of the roar of the crowd. She stammered something she hoped was welcoming and not just panicky, shaded her eyes against the glare of the spotlights, and nearly tripped over her own chair.

Thankfully, there wasn't much to say to the crowd that they didn't already know, and she could let them ask questions to get her brain rebooted. She was going to burn these clothes later for all the nervous sweat they were soaking up. Thank all things holy for black shirts…

"Did you really just fall into this?"

In the era of social media, it baffled Alex how often she answered the same sort of questions over and over again, but she better get used to it. "I really did! I was hired as a science consultant and there was a… temper tantrum let's call it, and the execs were suddenly out half a writing team and the rest is history. So don't give up, all you aspiring writers out there! Fanfiction can indeed be your key!"

During the ensuring laughter and applause, a new fan took the microphone set up for them.

"What are some of your biggest influences?"

"Oh, that's a good one. I'm a huge Star Wars fan, always have been, and my favorite part of that whole world is how rich it feels, visually, the sounds, hell, you can practically smell it! I wanted the more gritty realism of Babylon 5, which is still a favorite of mine, but the truth? It sorta boils down to Game of Thrones in space."

The ripple of amusement was more enticing then she had thought it would be, chasing off more of her lingering nerves.

"That world, like it or hate it, is so rich and well thought out that it should be pushing the industry to up the ante. So I took that dare and started building from the gravity wells up. I want 'Stronger Together' to feel real!"

And so it went. There were a few good questions and a few dumb ones, the latter which she managed with slapping down some Fandom Douchebag, none to gently, and joking a bit tightly with some breathless fangirl, "sorry I can't accommodate everyone's ships, but we'll do our best!"

Doubtlessly her corporate overlords would be cringing at some of her behavior, but if they wanted a lap cat, they never should have hired her.

There had been some rumbles of excitement in the line for questions, and when the next fan stepped up to the mic, Alex could see why.

"Whoa, hang on a sec," she marveled, already out of her seat and ducking away from the blinding spotlight. "Is that Drangari battle armor? Wow! I only just finalized the drafts on these last week!"

The cosplayer had startled before uttering a word and seemed completely nonplussed to be the focus of Alex's attention. Completely forgetting that this was a random fan and not one of her actors, Alex put hands all over the armor, testing the lay of it and the feel of the material, muttering to herself.

It took a long moment for her to remember where she was. Flushing red and not from the heat of the spotlight she'd ducked, Alex found herself rambling. "This is really good, better than my staff even. You and your team did a hell of a job."

"Thank you," said an unexpectedly feminine voice and one of the lights finally swung around to catch them, throwing gorgeous kelly green eyes into stark relief. "We had a lot of sleepless nights over the last week. Thanks for dropping the design drawings online so that we could do this."

Through the toothy cowl of the elaborate armor, Alex could see the curves of nose and cheeks warmly tensed from a hidden smile.

"My pleasure," she half-whispered, caught in those enticing eyes.

 

\----

_ulitifanuno: Alex Danvers had her heart stolen by a Drangari Star Warrior! HEarteyes!!!!_  
Warriorking @ultifanuno: I ship it  
angel face401: who was that cosplayer anyway? he was awesome!  
thththtbthtth @angel face401: You sure it was a he?  
m.herra @angel face401: I was in line with the warier. That was no he!:D  
angel face401: I have pics. Totally a dude.   
Hotterincleaveland @m.herra: not with tht moviestar voice!  
Hotterincleaveland: *that  
Beanie bitch: think we'll see her again?  
deadpiratesfulloftales @Beanie bitch: danvers sure hopes so! 

That was how it had begun. Fuzzy pictures of Alex staring in dazed adoration at some stranger in a truly beautiful costume and enough wild speculation that she would have been embarrassed for the recipient even if it hadn't been herself.

"Oh, god, Kara, stop!" Alex grumped and flicked an orange wedge at her cackling sister who had been Twitter surfing.

"Suck it, miss 'oh my gawd, Kara, the prettiest eyes on the plaaaaaanet'." 

The mocking tone dissolved into laughter and Alex could only glower through her hangover. She'd been euphoric and shaky enough after her panel to let herself be corralled by some fans to chat. It had turned into quite the impromptu little party that had thankfully moved down to the hotel lobby where the bar had kept them entertained.

Alex would never admit to being disappointed that the green-eyed stranger had not been among her admirers. At least not while sober.

Squinting at her phone, tilting this way and that, Kara hummed thoughtfully. "I've been in costuming long enough to want to hire this one. Seriously, even in this crap light, that suit is really good. Definitely a woman under that. Or a really short drag queen, because no straight guy could manage those boot risers. The design conceals it well, don't get me wrong, but she's about your height, curvier, narrower in the shoulders, more ass than you've got, lanky."

"How the fuck do you even do that?"

"Pfft. I can decipher a costume in like three seconds flat and you know it. I'll even bet she's dark-haired too, because no pale strands have snuck out and that's always a pain in the ass or requires a snug hood. Man, she must have been cooking in that thing. Your green-eyes is clearly a badass, just the way you like 'em!"

Tugging her glasses down her nose to peer sternly over them, Kara looked like a librarian who worked out a lot.

"So, are you over your freak outs? Because you did great, but you're not done yet."

Groaning, Alex pressed her warm coffee cup to her aching forehead. "Wait. Is today Saturday?"

Kara nodded and sighed dramatically as Alex went tearing off on a vile and colorful swearing jag.

"It's the panel! The panel, Kara! Fuck, what time is it?"

"Hey, whoa there, Buck Naked Texas Ranger, keep your panties on. Sheesh. You have nearly three hours and thank god we're not at home where you can freak the hell out over your clothes. Drink your liquid sanity and finish your eggs before freakout 2.0 happens, willya?"

The women of Sci-Fi Panel would be every bit as nerve-wracking as her individual event yesterday. Maybe more so, due to who else was going to be there. Alex didn't feel like she should be in the same room with her fellow panelists, much less on the same stage!

Still, two and half hours later, she was showered, dressed neatly and the edge was dulled off by coffee and aspirin. Good thing too, because backstage wasn't just her this time and Kara had to bodily push her forward like a very loving snowplow. Thankfully two of her idols happened to be very nice women who skimmed over her idiotic question of, "so what brings you here?"

As if the fannish chaos hadn't brought them all to the same place for the same reasons. Oy.

Flustered and overheated, Alex startled at strange hands on her waist. "Relax. We have a new doohickey for today. Mush lighter weight and less obtrusive." 

If it wasn't her green-eyed mystery woman, Alex would eat her belt, buckle and all. But she couldn't get a good look at her in the dimness of backstage, just the dark curl of smile and the touch of those warm hands.

"Tuck this in your ear and it will help you get the mic feeds. This should be a noisy one."

Then her name was introduced on the heels of some of her biggest professional heroes and Alex was thrust into the spotlight once more, still looking over her shoulder at her mystery lady.

 

\----

_danversstan: catnip to the ladies has struck again! This time a backstage volunteer was the lucky lady!_  
angel face401@danversstan: telling you that was a dude!  
Danversstan @angel face401: go away troll!  
Blacklyevol: if i'd known the staff would be so hot idve volunteered  
WWforprez: Patty Jenkins seemed to like her. Maybe she'll be in the next Wonder Woman movie!  
Meh-and-flying @WWforprez: too short 

Kara cackled in delight as she followed the running commentary. "I can't believe this! You are so the con darling, sis! Every even vaguely gay lady online seems to be getting curious. Dude, you're trending."

Exhausted, but too wired from all her experiences to do more than sprawl out in the sun and let it all soak into her bones, Alex could barely muster enough energy to snark. "Call me when Ellen comes knocking. God, I knew this was going to be exhausting, but I feel like the tail end of rush week."

"Please, you studied through rush week, you nerd."

Once again squinting at her phone, Kara examined the lone photo of Alex backstage, the mystery woman with hands on her.

"If this snap wasn't cheap VHS shitty quality, I could ascertain more."

"Next time the convention paparazzi corners me, I'll be sure to have a gaffer on hand," Alex snarked dryly and earned a wry look.

"Hilarious, smartass. Your mystery feel up is the right build and height. So pretty eyes and a sexy voice. Nice."

More than ready to have a change in subject, Alex forced herself to sit up and peer over Kara's shoulder. Tweets were rippling by so fast she had no idea how anyone was supposed to actually keep track of anything.

"So what am I trending as?"

"Well, it's not just you, but you're getting tagged a lot and the retweets are a shitstorm."

"Yes, yes, Ramble Monster. Cough up the goodies, you tease!"

"Okay, okay, sheesh, Miss Bossy. It's under #gaycon. Happy now? Bet we'll have Ellen on your phone by the end of the weekend!"

 

\----

_m.herra: Either Danbers is getting around, or this is a seriously lucky fan_  
KaraSunshine @m.herra: Lucky fan is right! Someone call @Ellen! Quick!  
everylesbianisjennifer: if I weren't gay already. Yummy!  
BigDog420: who is jealous of dis bich? All of you! I got VIPs to the Queens of Sci-Fi meet and greet tonight! MWAHAHAHAHA!  
BigDog420 @everylesbianisjennifer: I'll keep an eye out for Danvers' mystery lady. Story of the con! 

Then it was Sunday and Alex only had a charity meet and greet she'd agreed to, where she could casually mix with fans alongside a handful of other con guests. So she got the hell out of the hotel and called for a Lyft and let a local entertain her for a few hours around town. She texted a bit with Kara, who was busy with a behind-the-scenes workshop that day, and ignored the emoji-saturated prodding to go look at Twitter, or any of the photo-based websites.

Part of her was tired of being the pathetically adorable gay of the con. Ugh. All over one stranger she was never going to meet anyway. But then again… her eye strayed over the clothes she'd brought along, hung neatly in the closet.

Maybe third time was the charm.

With a bit of time to spare, Alex wandered out into the open areas of the convention to insert herself into the milling crowds. Most of the vendors were still there, though there were a few empty spots, tables bare of merchandise. She kept moving, knowing her outfit was causing as much of a stir as her now famous-ish face. She liked this shirt, it was loose and thin and breathable… and draped low down her shoulders to leave nearly her entire back bare. Between her tattoo and the musculature she worked on keeping, yeah, she really liked this shirt.

Somehow she avoided getting cornered, and was so pleased with her success that a familiar voice yelling her name actually made her startle. She didn't even know Winn had finally escaped work. Then again, hadn't he been on that workshop panel with Kara?

Turning, her eyes widened. Oh, not because of Winn's IFC uniform-- which he had doubtlessly swiped from wardrobe by the way those pants fit-- not even the Bethor Wedding Crown elaborate and spindly upon his companion's head. She'd recognize the damn thing anywhere after fighting with the suits and bean counters as hard as she had-- and employing judicious use of the Danvers Duo puppy eyes-- not just for the design, but the heavy gold leafing to give it a sparkle nothing could duplicate. She'd kick his ass later for taking the prop out of the workshop.

Right now she was far too enticed by the sparkling green eyes the crown and aquamarine veil threw into sharp relief. The nerdy, finicky, sciencey part of her brain fretted over the robes not quite being the right shade, the heavy, fitted body piece not quite complete. The rest of her told her inner nerd to shut the hell up for once.

Winn was babbling on with apologies and that this was his pal Lena from MIT and she was new to town and he was really sorry for raiding the shop, but she needed a costume and he'd even gotten her a volunteer slot since tickets had sold out months ago… She finally waved him silent and stepped closer, noting the way the corners of this Lena's eyes tensed up with the smile she couldn't see under the veil.

"Pleased to finally meet you. I'm Alex Danvers, but since you're with my sidekick, I'm betting you already know that."

Her chuckle was a low, smoky roll of deliciousness, her grip firm.

"A pleasure, Alex Danvers. Lena Luthor. Thank you for being a good sport about our teasing."

That made Alex huff out a small laugh and stop Lena's hand when she reached up to unhook the veil.

"Hey, you're in character now. No taking that off until we're married."

Winn snorted and Alex flushed as she realized how that sounded, but Lena's laugh was warm. "I missed that part of the deal when I agreed to wearing this. Shame on you, Winn. Though as proposals go, I like this one."

Alex's blush deepened and Lena gave her hand a squeeze.

"Listen, I--" 

"Miss Danvers! Oh thank god." Some poor peon in a 'volunteer' shirt raced up, looking ready to cry from stress. "The party's started and we didn't know where you were!"

Startled, Alex looked at her watch and flinched. "Jeez, I'm sorry, I had no idea it had gotten so late. Gimmie a sec."

Turning her attention back to her mystery lady, Alex looked beseeching and didn't miss how Lena's eyes crinkled more in delight.

"Can I find you later? Maybe take you out? I mean, if I can be that bold and…"

A squeeze of her fingers, still caught in Lena's grip, quieted her. "I'd like that."

The quiet intimacy of her voice stuck with Alex as she finally allowed herself to be herded away.

 

\----

Waking with a snort, Alex blinked and squinted at the clock. Christ, was it really almost eleven?

The bed was empty sans her own self and Alex was startled by the stab of disappointment. She had really been hoping to get to know her new pal better. Well better not in the carnal sense of the word anyway, because she ached all over, particularly those scratches on her back!

A burst of familiar laughter startled her into raising up onto her elbows.

"You're a hit, Lena," Kara said from beyond her sight, confirming that the fluttering curtains nearby did indeed mean that the balcony door stood open to the pleasant breeze outside. That low chuckle was familiar now, sprinkled over their date and the bedroom playfulness after drinks and snacks. Alex blushed warmly as she remembered seeing Lena dressed elegantly, finally seeing that engaging smile, chatting with the intelligent flirt for hours, kissing her against the wall of the elevator, fumbling at the buttons on her silk shirt to get at the even softer skin beneath…

"Kara, you shouldn't be egging them on!" 

But her laugh said otherwise.

Squirming with happy embarrassment-- because of course Kara had shown up and befriended her date-- Alex rolled out of the bed and headed for the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later she was cleaned up and dressed and teeth brushed, raking fingers through damp hair. Time to go find out how much trouble this new girl and her baby sister had gotten into.

The pair of them looked relaxed and glamorous in the shade just at the edge of the warm sunlight, a mostly-decimated brunch decorating the little table. Their smiles were adoring and sly, a matched set, and Alex knew for sure then that they had indeed made friends and she was in big trouble.

"Shut up, you," she muttered at Kara, who giggled and hopped up, phone in hand. After a incongruously shy moment-- after all she could still feel the death grip in her hair and remembered the taste and smell of her-- Alex leaned over and kissed Lena's smile away. It was easy to get lost in her, though the shutter noise of Kara's phone finally brought her up with a glower.

"That one's not going on Twitter, Kara."

"Awww! But I could outdo your con stalkers! Look!"

In a shot worthy of a true paparazzi, someone had caught Alex and Lena at the bar last night, dawdling over wine and a sampler plate, their smiles warm and infatuated. Alex couldn't argue with the caption with it. 

_LastWordage: get it! Fairy tale of the convention, twitterverse!_

She ignored the reams of comments scrolled out and leaned in to kiss her new lover again. She didn't need commentary. She had the real thing.

**Author's Note:**

> It was terrific fun to really leg Kara's sass hang out all over the place in this one. And as is true with several of the pieces in this series, I was making this up as I went along, particularly in naming people and things.
> 
> Yes, I 'cast' myself as the stagehand. A task I actually performed at a couple fan cons in Vancouver years ago. And seriously, like I'm going to pass up an opportunity to make a tiger reference!
> 
> I don't watch Game of Thrones! So Alex's words there? Absolutely me talking through her, I admit it. Because every scene I've seen is so beautiful and intricate, but it's just too violent and raw for me.
> 
> 'Buck Naked Texas Ranger' is an oooold joke from my table-top role-playing days and fit perfectly here.
> 
> The mystery panelists? Patty Jenkins and Sigourney Weaver. Totally.
> 
> Oh and Geeky? You and me? We are, without a doubt, _BigDog420_ and _everylesbianisjennifer_. :D
> 
>  
> 
> Early in this project, Geekystorytelling had given me a huge list of great ideas and this was one of them.
> 
> geekystorytelling: wait definitely a comic con one. that's just super top of mind at the moment.  
> wither they are both attendees, or it can be a comic con AU and a famous AU, because one of them is also a panelist (alex perhaps?) could even do a dash of social media AU. but also a separate prompt would be a social media AU because god I'm a sucker for those  
> shatterpath: A COMIC CON! OMG YES! I was eyeballing a Star Wars one, but I really don't think I know enough about the 'verse any more. I'm OLD. but a couple of cosplayers at a con? BINGO
> 
> theillogicalthinker: Social media au I am so down for. But with the comic con twist  
> Shatterpath: i like them combined and separate both


End file.
